Chapter Eighteen
CHAPTER
EIGHTEEN
Scarlett flung open the door to her room. She was eager to change and possibly cry before her grandmother found her. But before she could do any of that, her gaze met Manon’s.
Scarlett’s face heated as Manon peered at her from her armchair.
“Goodness,” said her grandmother. “Do you have anything on under that trench coat, or am I about to get a free show?”
Nori didn’t say anything, but she radiated sympathy, and Scarlett’s cheeks grew hot. Any other moment and she’d laugh at her grandmother’s joke, but right now, no. Right now she wanted to stare into the void in solitude after the fight she’d just had.
“Sorry,” said Scarlett as she stepped into the room, closing the door behind her.
She faced away from her grandmother until she had her emotions under control.
Then she spun around slowly, feigning embarrassment rather than distress.
“I can’t think of a dignified excuse for my attire.
” She peeled off the coat and laid it over the back of a chair before wrapping herself in a fuzzy blanket.
A breakfast tray sat on the table in front of Manon with a pot of what was hopefully coffee, and Scarlett sat in the armchair across from her.
“Those pajamas are gorgeous on you. So, you and Brayden?” Manon raised one eyebrow.
Scarlett resigned herself to her grandmother’s nosy but well-intentioned questioning.
“I saw him in the mirror at the temple. And Gwen said we’re North Stars,” she said, barely managing to not sound distraught.
Last night she’d have been thrilled to tell Manon, but this morning, after their awful fight, the words tasted bitter in her mouth.
Nori darted around Manon’s light.
Manon’s eyes sparkled as she stood and pulled Scarlett into a hug, her peony perfume enveloping her. “What wonderful news. I’m so happy for you both.” She rubbed Scarlett’s back for a long moment, making Scarlett suspect she hadn’t hidden her feelings as well as she’d thought.
“I’m happy, but I don’t know how to handle it with everything going on,” Scarlett whispered in her ear.
Manon pulled back and met her gaze. “You’re strong enough to handle anything, and the North Star bond is a blessing, so chin up.
” She beamed at Scarlett encouragingly as they both sat back down, but Scarlett struggled to return her smile.
Hearing her grandmother talk about the North Star bond reminded her of Brayden’s assuredness, and she was having a hard time with unwavering faith in something she didn’t understand.
She wanted to believe, but all she had was the faith of others to go by.
Manon picked up a sausage roll and took a small bite.
Scarlett closed her eyes, inhaling the rich smell of the coffee, and took a long, fortifying sip.
She needed to know more, but she wasn’t sure any answer would satisfy her if it was based on old myths.
But she had just experienced magic firsthand in the temple.
Maybe the North Star bond was real. She had to try to understand.
“Do you really believe all the North Star stuff? Brayden told me this means we’re it for each other.
But then we had a horrible fight this morning over me going back to Soleil.
What if the timing is wrong and we don’t make it because of my responsibilities back home?
I’ll be devastated if I lose him.” Her throat became thick as she held her breath waiting for Manon’s answer.
“The temple mirror wasn’t a guarantee of permanence, but a North Star rune is never wrong. Brayden is afraid of losing you. You can’t blame him for the angst, given recent events. He loves you too much to lose you. And you love him too. That’s the only answer you need.”
Scarlett let out a shuddering sigh. “I do love him.”
“Of course you do. And that’s beautiful. Life is full of the possibility we might all end up devastated. Love makes it worth throwing yourself into the fray. Hang on to Brayden with both hands and don’t let go. That’s my advice.”
“Hang on to him with both hands. I will.” They’d get over this fight. Of course they would. But she couldn’t bring herself to ask how she was supposed to hold on to him from Soleil.
“You’ll manage. Think of him as a nonnegotiable priority, the same way you would Beni,” said Nori. The suggestion made Scarlett’s heart lighter.
Manon sipped a cup of coffee. “So, do you have any plans for the morning?”
“James offered to take me to work with him so I can learn about being a vox. You?”
“I’m going to enjoy the peace and quiet of my room while I can.”
The ominous words gave Scarlett pause. “What do you mean, ‘while you can’?”
“Given the circumstances, it’s safe to say things will not remain calm.
I personally am both nervous and excited to see what Brayden does next, because there’s no stopping you from going, and there is also no way that boy is letting you leave alone,” Manon said with a pleased chuckle.
“A phoenix learns of his North Star right before she’s supposed to leave the country to go back to her murderous homeland… I couldn’t make this up if I tried.”
If only Scarlett could be as relaxed about this as her grandmother.
Freshly showered and coat in hand, Scarlett went to the lounge downstairs looking for James and found him reading a book.
James stood as she entered the room, his eyes bright. “You look well. You’re practically glowing.” Before she could reply, he opened his arms and wrapped her in a hug. “Congratulations on the North Star news. Brayden told me before he left with Lachlan. I’m so chuffed for the two of you.”
She hugged him back, her heart skipping a beat at the mention. “Did he seem happy about the North Star news?”
“No. He seemed stressed out,” James admitted. “But underneath the stress, he’s happy, believe me. He’s just worried because of your situation. He was always going to be overprotective of you because of your history, but get ready for it to be on a whole new level of obsession now.”
To Scarlett’s surprise, she grinned. James’s cheerful dismissal of Brayden’s mood was somehow a comfort.
“You know this means we’re basically family now, right?” His dark eyebrows rose inquisitively.
“Erm, I don’t know much at all about the North Star other than the basics I learned yesterday.”
He chuckled. “Goddess, you being from Soleil is so fun. Did you know that legally, a North Star bond supersedes marriage here? Like, if you wanted to, you could skip getting married, have your North Star ceremony instead, and it would give you all the same legal benefits in Clair de Lune. And get this. Let’s say you’d married that prick Alastair before you knew about the North Star.
If you got the rune after you’d married someone else, under Clair de Lune law, that marriage would become null and void. ”
Scarlett let out a nervous laugh, trying her best not to think too deeply on the disturbing alternate reality James was describing. She made a mental note to ask Brayden what he’d told him about Alastair. “I didn’t know any of that. Thank the Goddess I never got married.”
“Yeah, seriously. Anyway, ready to head out? We’re going to the guildhall.” He wore a button-down shirt with dress pants and nice shoes, and his blazer hung on the back of his chair. It was the most formal she’d ever seen him, and it made her question her own outfit.
“Am I dressed okay? Manon bought this yesterday. I don’t have many outfits here with me.
” She gestured down at her sleeveless black dress.
It was a little short, hitting at the middle of her thigh, but the skirt flared out enough that it wasn’t hugging her hips.
Laylani wouldn’t have approved, but she’d seen other peers wear similar things to Soleil’s parliament.
“You look great,” said James without looking at her. “It’s good you brought a jacket. It’s a cold morning.”
“Good,” she said, trying to sound excited. She was excited. But she wouldn’t be totally at ease until she and Brayden had worked things out. Sighing, she followed James to the courtyard and climbed into the passenger seat of his SUV.
James drove around the outskirts of Clair de Lune.
They passed lots of adorable terraced houses with decorative timbers on the exteriors, the homes painted brown in contrast to the white stucco.
Scarlett stared longingly at the quaint-looking city center in the distance.
She wanted Brayden to show her more of his country, but they were already running out of time together.
After a quarter of an hour, James parked the car, and they walked up to the guildhall. Scarlett stared up at the intricate stonework of the old building.
“This is gorgeous. What’s it used for?”
“Commerce. I’m here most days, although we go to Parliament for the big meetings.” He pointed to a white dome visible over the tops of the buildings. “That’s Parliament. The prime minister is visiting Evory this week, but if you’re still here next week, I’ll try to get you a meeting with her.”
“Thanks, but I’ll be gone by then,” said Scarlett regretfully. She’d met Greta Crow, Clair de Lune’s PM, at a state dinner the previous year, but their interaction had been brief.
“Shame,” said James. “Maybe next time.”
They passed through a set of grand wooden doors, and Scarlett stared up at the high ceilings with their exposed wooden beams. Shields painted with family crests adorned the walls.
“Let’s sign you in.” James stopped at a round desk just to the right of the door.
“Now on to the council chamber,” he said once she had a visitor’s lanyard around her neck.
He led her up a grand staircase. “We’re discussing tariffs today.
I think you should say a few words on the subject, just to try out your valor. ”
“You want me to give a speech?” Her eyebrows shot up.
“Just a quick one,” he said. “You know all about the impact of a restrictive economic border, right?”
“True…”